The Cough (Remake)
by SpazzieBunnie
Summary: Cough- To expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise. Cough- An illness characterized by frequent coughing Cough- Don't get the Cough. Don't Get the Cough. Don't. Get. The. Cough.


(NOTE/REASON: The story is a fan-made work of a short story titled "The Cough" which was made by Ebon Mane. It also will contain disturbing parts that some viewers may find disturbed and uncomfortable. The reason why I wanted to make it is because of how it was never explained what happened in the outside. What this outbreak was. Many people have their stories and beliefs. This is both of them in one. Enjoy.)

The gray cloudy and foggy outside was death. No sign of life or anypony around. No sign of the sun showing but yet it was the middle of day. Only a purple pony with nothing but a gas mask with its air filter on the right side. Her purple eyes barely showed on the blacked lens to which she could see perfectly while anypony, if any, would see darkness. She was calmly trotting on the ground of Ponyville. Her hometown was beautiful and full of ponies with happy faces. Now? The streets are empty with some blood appearing on the soil and grass. She looked back behind her and even side to side. Not that her hearing was bad with the mask on but it was only fear. She was afraid to encounter anypony. The fear of seeing them would make her scream.

"You can do this Twilight. Just get the food and go." The purple pony said to herself as she headed towards a small market with stands being either up and wood rotting from lack of care or crumbled apart. Her eyes gazed at the stands and how it seemed like a pointless place to go. Twilight looked over and behind the stands to find nothing. Not even a soul. She was worried that she would have to go inside of a store. It wasn't because they would be empty. It's because of there could be more than food in there. The outbreak is what made her lose her trust in abandoned places.

Twilight walked off to the last stand that was barely clinging to life with all of its rotten wooden glory. Pears in a big sack. It was something her friend Applejack wouldn't like but in a case like this she had no choice. She had to either get food or nothing. Twilight's horn glowed a light purple on her horn with the bag emitting a violet sparkle like glow to lift up the bag with her unicorn magic. It was heavy but it was good enough for her and her friends to survive for at least a week. She huffed in relieve. "Thank Celestia for at least there being food to spare."

She opened the sack to reveal the juicy pears. No spoiled ones in the slightest. They survived their lonely days and nights like Twilight. Like her friends. She smiled under the mask and tied it back up to keep the pears from both falling out and being spoiled. As her hooves started to walk she heard another hoofstep. Her panic caused her to look and go beside the stand and hiding her shaking body. She could feel the fear crawling back to her. What was this pony or better yet who was this stranger? No answer. Only silence. The silence only lasted till the sound of a gurgled cough was made. Twilight's eyes widened from underneath the mask. She couldn't dare look. Her brain was telling her to sneak a peek at the unknown object. She took a gulp and looked very slightly out with her head barely sticking out. Fear was now making her spine tingle and shake.

Her violet eyes gazed at the figure who was making those nightmarish sounds. It was a light yellow pegasus with a white-ish mane in knots and filth and mud sticking on it. The body was skinny weak with bones sticking out of the skin and fur. Even some bones were showing on limbs and torso as they was clear to show pure white on the rotten flesh. This pegasus was infected with the Cough. Twilight in pure panic could only look on as her mind stated to break out of reality to pinpoint to the days before this. Before the Cough ruined her life.

Twilight remembered it all. Being flown in to the castle of Canterlot by the chariot flying thanks to the pegasus guards where the elite and the princess's were there. She was given a letter to her faithful mentor Princess Celestia. She was asked to come urgently and tell nopony. An odd request but it was the princess. She couldn't say no. As she was flown in to the enchanted wide tall as a mountain castle Twilight was walked by to the doors. As she walked in with two of Celestia's guards she noticed a group of scientist ponies were in the castle. They had the look of worry and panic. Some were wearing hazmat suits and they just felt scared. Twilight could sense that it must be this important business is even freaking out Equestria's smartest ponies.

She slowly walked to the door to the hallway of where Celestia and Luna's thrones were. The tall white alicorn and her little sister alicorn looked over at Twilight. They had the look of tired eyes and their manes not being brushed and cared for. Now this was freaking out Twilight. Her mentor looked as if she was half asleep. "Princess Celestia?" She lightly talked while looking concerned as the white alicorn shook her head and looked around to see her star pupil. "Oh hello there Twilight. I'm very glad you could make it." She letted out a yawn with between her calm voice making words as her sister gets approached and dragged away by a couple of the scientist ponies. "What is going on princess Celestia? What is with the scien-" Before Twilight could finish Celestia started to talk over. "I knew you would ask about scientists. I just want you to listen." She sounded worried in her tone but Twilight was ready to listen.

She letted out a sigh. "Yesterday my guards found a weak dying pony in the Everfree Forest after somepony told us about gargling groans coming from the forest." She started to sound frightened but trying to show bravery to her purple guest. "My team went to find the cause and we were able to find a pony." Celestia's words were shuddering and shaky as she went on. "He was boney weak. His fur and skin were rotten and just was-" She was dry heaving to not let out bile as Twilight went to her side in worry. "I'm fine Twilight, but Ponyville won't be." She said to her pupil with the look of sadness. "We got to tell everypony!" Twilight was antsy to run to warn her friends. She didn't want them involved with whatever was going around. Celestia had her wide wing block Twilight's way.

"Twilight. This is some contagious disease that was around many centuries ago." She puts her wing away from Twilight's face and walks to one of her windows. "It came back for a reason unknown. This is the return of the Cough." The alicorn was shaken. Was afraid. She never showed fear but yet she was with her pupil looking at her. "Celestia…" Twilight said with Celestia getting her focus back. "It's is going to hit Ponyville in hours, there is no way to stop it. That's why I want you to come with me." She looked back at Twilight with the purple eyes of hers widening.

"Me?" Twilight said with Celestia nodding. "But my friends. What about them?" No answer came from the alicorn. Nothing. "They can't come. The zeppelin the engineers made can only hold so much. Not everypony in Ponyville will make it." The words made the purple unicorn gasp in disbelief. She didn't want her mentor saying something like that. She thought her friends would be allowed. If she could be allowed in this damned zeppelin then why couldn't she? Twilight was mad. "I will have to decline that offer Celestia." Those words made the princess turn towards her determined student.

"But you'll die!" Celestia explained to her but it was to no avail. "I rather protect my friends than let them suffer. They need me. I'm sorry." Twilight just wasn't like other ponies. She was always by her friends side even if the situation is dire. Celestia was almost teary eyed. She never had a good perfect student like Twilight and the thought of her gone was breaking the tough princess's heart. She never shedded a tear but only took two breaths to calm herself and her nerves. Twilight was looking at her to see what the princess's next move was.

Silence was formed until Celestia started to speak. "There are three stages to this." She said with her stern voice being back instead of her fear taking over. "First. It will be a cough. That is the warning." Twilight nodded in understanding her while she keeps the list in her head. "Second is where in five minutes the Cough kicks in, resulting in coughing fits and seizures that will make a pony go into a contagious comatose. Do not inhale the breath of the pony." She closes her eyes and looks pained to even talk about the conversation. "The final stage. The brain activates in another five minutes and the body of the pony will walk and infect everypony. Those are the carriers. Killing them stops the Cough that is in their lungs and killing the carrier will have the infected body close its lungs on command." She opened back her eyes. "Killing carriers is tougher than it sounds if you don't want to breath in their air."

Twilight looked scared. Frightened even. Her heart however still was on the path of friendship no matter what airborne contagious illness or disease stood in her way. "Thank you princess. I hope we can make a cure soon." Celestia looked at the purple student of hers. She was a hardhead when it came to her friends, which put a smile on her face. "I will put a dome around Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. To keep the vile beasts in." Twilight seemed to agree with Celestia's idea but before she could walk away the worried alicorn stops her. "Twilight." She said in a worried but stern tone. "Promise me that you will not only be alive but that you will stay pure. Not some violent mare. I don't want you to kill anypony. Ok?" Her words were the sound of worry but Twilight knew the right words to say. "Of course princess. Be careful on your trip to safety." She trotted off fast as the alicorn watched on as her pupil raced back towards the guards and the chariot.

The world of reality slowly came back to the eyes of the purple mare. She awoken from her zoning out as she still was looking at the contagious disease filled pegasus. Its decaying flesh was looking like it was starving. Even being unbathed. She looked at its eyes with the face being covered in dried blood. Its own blood or somepony else's? The blood was still on the face with the eyes rolled up to its head like it was looking up at the sky without moving its head. The bloodshots of the eyes were shown and even then the bloodshot red eyes leaked blood from the red veins. The gargling groans was the worst feature about this diseased pegasus to her. The sickening way of it talking gives her nightmares every time since every infected pony had it. The blood from the mouth was splattered onto the ground and blood dripping from its chin everytime it coughed and gargled. The throat must be so raw from coughing fits that it makes them just meaty and bleeding uncontrollably.

The wings were slightly spread apart but mostly it showed the torn opened boney fur and flesh with very little feathers on them. The wings twitched and sometimes did a slight flap that was weak. Twilight still kept looking as it was in front of her way. She wanted to run and escape but was afraid of it. That it might follow her or chase her. The back of the pegasus was turned as only its tail and plot was showing. The smart purple pony looked and saw a chance to go. Her eyes meet the back of the decayed looking pegasus but also on the ground behind it was a heavy plank of wood.

The pony looked at the wood and studied it. It was wide enough but also looks strong enough. She looked at the wood then back at the creature. Her mind of survival kicked in as she imagined her picking up the wood and ending its suffering life. Her head was thinking of death to this monster. For safety. She was thinking that it could spot her and follower her back to the house. She and her friends would be in danger. Would she risk it? Though her heart was more to keeping Celestia's promise of not killing anypony. She didn't have it in her anyway to end one's life. Her mind of survival and her heart of pacifism was fighting for control. It was like she couldn't think anymore. Leave and take a chance or kill to take no chance. Her eyes were focused on the wood on the ground and the standing still pegasus.

She feel her body start to move on her own with quiet hoof steps as she walked towards the board. It was close to her range. She could just levitate it with her magic as she was carrying the sack of pears by her side. She wasn't trained in combat magic but this was something easy. Pick up and hit. Her head was fighting for control as her hoof stepped right next to the board. The gargling blood spitting sounds of the pegasus was more louder as she got close which made Twilight cringe. This beast was in her way and the board is near her. Her breathing was starting to go heavy with it being muffled through the mask. Luckily the loud gurgling and hacking coughs was loud enough for Twilight to not be heard. Her magic slowly picked up the plank of wood off the ground with the sparkly glow holding the bottom of it.

The wood slowly lifted up above the purple unicorns head as her eyes focused on the back on the decaying pegasus. With Twilight thinking in her head she deduces that since the bones are weak, with a hard enough hit she could at least end it with one blow. Her heart however made her question her action she was going to do. End a life even if there could be a way to fix this? She would be a murderer. Twilight knew it was now or never but she couldn't do anything. Her eyes glued to the filthy mane of the pegasus and the wood shaking from her next call. The coughing blood spitting pony creature was slowly going to turn. Now or never Twilight kept thinking. As the bloodshot eyes start to look at her she lets out a muffled scream from her mask and slams the wood down to the head of the pegasus resulting in a loud crunch.

The crunch wasn't wood but weak feeble bone that was heard. The gargling groan made a sickening weak moan as blood from the bash and its mouth got on the mare. The fall from the dead creature hit with a thud with Twilight looking and panting heavy while feeling the metallic more darker red liquid be warm against her fur. She felt it start to stain in her still wondering head. She was just looking at what she had down. Murder. Murdering and killing life.

Her stomach was starting to feel queasy and her heart was racing. Every beat could be heard to her ears as she just keeps looking at it. The skull being split in half to reveal the chunks of gray sticky brain was slightly mushed thanks to the wood. The gray cranium reminded Twilight of what left out meat would look like. Again her stomach was turning from the sight. She looked at the eyes as if those slightly yellow pupils were looking at her. She could feel the eyes stare at her, but for whatever reason it was she wasn't having it.

For mercy killing or just the way its body was it didn't matter. Twilight took a life before her own life could be killed. The purple glow started to fade to the bloody tipped wood as it drops to the ground with Twilight still in a shock state. Her breathing was slowly going back to normal but yet she just still can't stop looking.

The promise was broken. She ruined Celestia's promise. Twilight was always following the princess's rule even if she knew she was going to lost the battle with Celestia. She ruined it. Twilight looked at the dead body for a last glance. The body was still rotten but now the sound of this hellish creature was silent. Like the wind. Like the birds. Nothing but silent and its only company the gas mask wearing mare with blood on her.

The sack in her magic grip was spared of having bloodstains on it but the pony still got exposed to the blood. The blood wasn't contagious, it was only the air. The cough. She wanted to scream. Say anything like a simple greeting. Twilight didn't spoke. She said nothing. Through the mask was just stunned of disbelief on her face. Her first kill. Her first time she attacked without it attacking first. The unicorn couldn't think. Just stare.

In a quiet moment she started to take one hoof in front of the other and repeat the process till she started walking. The world was nothing but a fuzzy fog to her now. The lens had blood splatter but yet Twilight wouldn't clean it. It just stayed there as a reminder. The world she is in now is either live or die. She chose to live with the cost of a life. She was a monster to her heart and brain. A monster who will kill any of the carriers yet she isn't like that. She didn't want to do it but the actions and last seconds made her think.

Twilight said nothing. Only her hoof steps walking on the ground and grass while still carrying the bag of pears with her. She kept going with her head still having the images. The gruesome images of that pony that she never knew. Again no words. It was like she was turned into stone. She then saw it. A light blue painted house with boarded and closed up windows and a garden of dead roses and lilies with a glowing violet bubble around it like a shield. This was the home her and her friends were staying at.

She walked over the garden and with ease she walked inside of the fresh air bubble. Her spell was able to suck up and eject all of the Cough out from inside of the bubble and form a cycle of fresh air. It was magic that Twilight was good at. She walked to the door and had her horn glow to have the door open for her and walk inside of the dark barely illuminated house. "Guys. I got some food." Twilight said with a muffle since her gas mask is on as she puts the bag of pears on the ground since no pony seemed to be here.

"Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Rarity?" Twilight sounded worried as she started to look and use her horn to spread light to the darkness like a flashlight. No pony but yet the tables and chairs have been broken and flipped over. "Hello?" Twilight called out to go out of the living room she was in and into the kitchen. The darkness was starting to disappear and hide away as the light continues to glow on her horn. She walks in the kitchen and yet no sign of her friends. She did notice however a small detail on the floor.

She looked down to examine it with her glowing lighted up horn. Red liquid. "Blood?" Twilight sounded off as she never seen it but yet this was making her worry. The blood however she noticed was different. Darker like what rose wine would look like. The eyes of that mare started to widen again as her thought process started to get hit fast on what that blood could mean.

In the darkness, somepony coughed.

(Important: If we lose the internet/Net Neutrality on February 27th, know that I thank you readers for reading my stories. I want all of you. The readers and writers and artists and everyone to keep going. Keep being what you want to be no matter the blocks in the path you take. Keep going and don't stop. Save Net Neutrality and we must get OneMoreVote. Thank you for reading. I'm happy my stories are good for you all 3)


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